CHAPTER FOURTEENIt was weird sleeping in a strange bed and Elizabeth could barely close her eyes. It was so quiet and serene, she was scared to sleep. After her encounter with Lucien, who is Jason’s brother and who also she had a mighty crush on, they had eaten with Lucien staring at her throughout and Jason watching the both of them. She had been so uncomfortable and self aware that she could barely get the food down her throat and into her hungry stomach.The house keeper brought her bags inside and on a signal from Jason, went somewhere with it.“She will drop it in your room.” He said later to herElizabeth nodded not trusting herself to speak“Why did you declining giving me your number.” Lucien asked mid food.Elizabeth was of the idea that she had hurt his feelings, he probably had never had a girl refuse him something before.“Because I can.” She said curtly.From her side eye, she saw Jason smile into the glass of wine he was drinking and she smiled too involuntarily.“What
CHAPTER FIFTEENIt was embarrassing laying down there with her eyes shut tight and her legs wide open to the probing hand of the doctor.“You need to relax, Elizabeth.” Jason said touching her arm.“You try relaxing when you are laid back on the bed and basically naked underneath while a middle aged man is looking up your private part and with another man as audience too.” She grated, her forehead beaded with sweat.“He is a doctor, I don’t think they usually count as men.” He said eliciting laughter from her.She relaxed, counting numbers off the top of her head and imagining at the moment what her brother and best friend were up to.“You are in perfect condition, I just need to insert the sperm into you and you are good to go.” The doctor announced.“Wait! That’s it? Just the Sperm and I am pregnant?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.“You might not get pregnant with this round of injection, it is just like having sex. I would have asked that you both have sex because it is easier that w
CHAPTER SIXTEENElizabeth was bored, at first she thought she was going to enjoy not working and speaking to Mara everyday on the phone but after a week, it was looking like all the excitement in her life was over and there was nothing left that to count the letters being displayed on the large screen in front of her, Elizabeth was bored and was still not pregnant. She had called doctor after a week of injecting the sperm into her and although he had said it wasn’t guaranteed that she was going to get pregnant the first time, she had hoped that wasn’t the case.Jason was out, no doubt in his office right now and Lucien… she was trying so hard to avoid him since the whole altercation and Jason’s question concerning. He wasn’t making it easy though and it was like he was genuinely looking to rile her up.She has been managing his behavior without informing the owner of the house but Elizabeth swore that if he did something she found uncomfortable, he would be behind bars.Her phone rang
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN“You are still up” Jason noted immediately he entered the house.Elizabeth sat in front of the television but he wasn’t sure she was concentrating on it.“Yes. How was work?” She asked“Fine, thank you.” He said waiting for her to continue, she definitely had something on her mind with the way she was glaring at him.“What is it?” He asked after some time of waiting and she had no said anything.“I know I am your surrogate and you are paying me to bear your child and all but never ever think that I am yours to own. This or whatever we are doing is purely transactional and nothing more.”“You have been speaking to my brother” he stated calmly.“Yes I have and I do not appreciate you discuss me like I am some object for you to own or keep for yourself.”“You are not an object and I merely said all that so he keeps away from you. You are nothing except the woman who will carry my child and if I have given you an impression more than that, I apologize. Now if you would e
CHAPTER EIGHTEENThe ride back home was awkward, Elizabeth’s eyes were closed through out and although she could feel the probing stare of Lucien’s eyes, she still kept them shut hoping he would not comment on it.“Am I that repulsive? “ he asked after some time“No of course not.”“Then why do you have your eyes shut tight like you want to be anywhere but with me and you want to see anything but me. I mean I was impulsive and I should not have kissed you but I do not regret it and you shouldn’t too.”“My eyes are not shut because of you, I am motion sick so anytime I get in a car I try to close my eyes and regulate my breathing and also partly because I’m trying to understand why you kissed me.” Elizabeth blurted“I find you really attractive Elizabeth I always have and that’s why I have been trying to get on your nerves this past few weeks and I am sorry if I have been overdoing it, I just wanted you to see me.”“I see you Lucien”“No, you see me as Jason’s brother. I want you to se
CHAPTER NINETEENHe was waiting for them, Lucien and Elizabeth could see he was angry. His eyes were ice cold and feet tapping rhythmically on the floor.“Hey bro” Lucien smiled upon entry, his eyes twinkling mischievously.“You are back.” Elizabeth breathed as she watched him.“I am and your phone is switched off.”“Yes, I went with Lucien and errr… he… we” Elizabeth stammered.“Relax brother, we decided to turn off our phones and eat out, it’s no big deal.”“No big deal? You had your tongue down my surrogate’s throat. Now if that is no big deal, I wonder what big deal is.” Jason explodedElizabeth gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth.He had seen them, somehow he had seen them“She is not yours to have” Lucien said quietly.“I asked you for one favor and that is to leave her the fuck alone but as you do every time, trying to undermine my fucking authority.”“Did you leave Cassandra alone when I asked you to.” Lucien said.Cassandra? Elizabeth thought.“So this is what this is abou
CHAPTER TWENTYElizabeth was dreadful about going to the hospital again and having the doctor probe her vagina and so she and Jason prolonged it for as long as they could.The news about herself and Lucien had long since died down much to her relief as they had not been spotted together since that day and Lucien had moved out of the house.It was just her and Jason which made her too self aware. Her skin tickled anything he was near and she was overly conscious of all of his movements. He had taken the week off; according to him, he realized he had been careless as to her welfare and would like to make up for it by been around her for the week.Elizabeth was happy about the decision for like two days until she could no longer bear to be in his presence without her eyes straying to his lips and her heart pounding when he looked at her for too long and it was as though he was doing it all the time.“You are staring again” she had told him one day while they were having breakfast.“Your
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE“Did you call him?” he asked her as they got down from the car“of course not, why would I do that. I have no idea why he is here.” She told him.They were walking In the direction of Lucien and he was watching them or at least watching her with hooded and intense eyes, non blinking.“Lucien” Jason said nodding in his direction.He nodded back but his eyes remained on her.“what are you doing here?” she asked, her breath hitching in her throat at the sight of him.“I wanted to see you, Elizabeth because I have missed you so much.”She could not respond… his words washed over her like waves crashing against its banks.Jason was watching her face, it was quite obvious that she was still besotted with his brother, she was looking at him like he was the last thing on earth she wanted to see but still there was some sort of sexual tension between them, like they could not get their hands off each other. He looked like a fool standing there and watching them eat each othe
CAMILLAAfter the previous day encounter and the kiss… I wasn’t sure I wanted to be on the same team with Nathan.In all honesty, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted.My lips still tingled from the memory of Nathan’s kiss, and yet, the feeling did NOT settle in the way I expected. It wasn’t the passionate rush of desire or the warmth of something more. No, it was an unsettled ache, a reminder that whatever this was between us was anything but simple.I stared at the ceiling, my mind spinning in a hundred different directions. My thoughts kept circling back to that kiss.Why had he gone and kissed me?The last thing I needed was to get caught up in Nathan’s mess, in whatever internal struggle he was going through. I could not afford to lose myself in him. Not again. He had kissed me, and now I had to decide whether to let it go or pull back before things went any further.I dragged myself out of bed, staring at the clock—7:00 AM. My meeting with Nathan was at 9:00, but I had a hundred t
NATHANI was stalling.Her apartment had grown quiet except for the rhythmic ticking of a clock on the wall, but I stayed seated at her table, watching her stack dishes in the sink. My car was fixed. My excuse to linger here was gone. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to leave.She moved with a confidence that was uniquely Camilla. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone…least of all me…but damn, she did. I traced the curve of her spine with my eyes as she walked back into the living room, her bare feet soft against the floorboards.I should have been thinking about Eleanor. About Trish. About Alicent. About the cold-blooded satisfaction I would feel when the truth about Eleanor’s death finally saw the light of day. But all I could think about was how Camilla and how I should be apologizing to her.“You’re awfully quiet,” she said, sitting across from me, tilting her head to study me.“I have been accused of worse.”She rolled her eyes. “You are always like this. Mysterious and brooding. You wou
CAMILLA “Good morning.” I started at him, unsure of exactly what I was looking at. Then it hit me: the smell. Warm and savory, the scent of something cooking drifted through the air…eggs, maybe toast. It was so out of place… he was out of place here. I moved, the motion sending a fresh wave of pain through my skull and a queasiness to my stomach. I groaned again, slower this time, trying to steady myself. “Morning,” I mumbled hoarsely, my voice barely more than a croak. He was standing by the stove, his back to me, a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. His shirt was untucked, the fabric clinging to his broad shoulders in a way that made him seem even larger than usual. In my tiny kitchen, he looked impossibly big, like he didn’t belong there, yet somehow…he fit. “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice weak but laced with confusion. Nathan glanced over his shoulder, his profile catching the morning light. His hair was a little messy, like he hadn’t bothered t
CAMILLAIt was useless feeling sorry for myself, I thought.The lighting in the club was low as I stepped in with my friend, Bella.“Not bad” I murmured.“Told you” She responded triumphantly. “This is what you need to get over him. Nathan Clark is an asshole and should dump him in the dust where he belongs”I wanted to correct her that he wasn’t an asshole, he was merely disturbed but I did not.I was not here to sympathize with him or even think about him. I was here to have fun and that is what I am going to do.I was putting on a red dress and it complimented my eyes way more than I thought it would.“Come on, we should get a drink” Bella pulled me to the bar.The bartender winked at both of us and then asked what we would likeIt was at the tip of my tongue to say nothing but I was at a club, wasn’t I?“Sex on the beach” I announced.Bella turned to me, surprise in her eyes. I was pretty sure she thought she would have to force me to drink.“I would have the same” She told the ma
NATHANThere was nothing to say as I dropped Camilla off at her home.I waited until I was sure she had gotten in before I headed in the direction of my mother in law’s house.I pushed in Christian’s number, my teeth gritting as it rang.I was furious.I did not want to admit I was more furious at myself than anything.“How did your date go?” Christian’s asked as soon as the phone line clicked.“Send me the name of the witness” I grunted.“What is wrong?”“Send the name, dammit”“You need to calm down, Nathan. Where are you going?”“To settle this once and for all” I told him. “Now send the damned number to me”I hung up before he had the chance to say anything or convince me to back away because I would not.I drove way above the speed limit, stopping only when I had gotten to the mansion’s gate.It brought back memories of family dinners where I had to defend Eleanor over and over again. Where snide remarks about the reason I was with her reached my ears and she said nothing about
CAMILLA“I did not think I was ever going to see you again, Camilla” Sarah smiled as soon as I entered the restaurant.She wagged a finger in Nathan’s direction, shaking her head at him.“With the kind of food you sell? I will be coming in here for a very long time” I smiled back.Nathan and I took our seats and waited.She had a queue as usual and I could not help the smile as I glanced around.“You would have watched your father kill me” Nathan commented.“I admit that would have made me feel better for a bit” I told him.He appeared shocked but I could tell from the way his eyes twinkled with delight that he thought it hilarious.I had not expected he would go over to my parent’s house especially seeing as I wasn’t there in the first place.My father however had called me when he arrived with a gun to his head and asked if I wanted to see him. I had hesitated just for the fun of it“I deserved that”“Yes you did” I agreed.“Thank you for coming here with me”I nodded once.Sarah dr
NATHANI was pacing like a fucking clown.I was expecting Camilla at the office today to discuss the project that we were involved in together and I could not help the restlessness coursing through my body.I wasn’t one to be this nervous about anything.“Deep breaths” I told myself, trying to go along with my instructions but to no avail.So much so that when my receptionist announced her presence, I had worked myself into a frenzy.My breath caught in my throat as she walked in, her eyes taking the room before settling on me with stark clarity.What had I been thinking? I thought.Starved of attention?Who was the blithering idiot now?“You look well” She commented, taking the seat in front of me.“You look beautiful” I murmured.She paused, her eyes meeting mine.Sparks flew, that was for sure.“How do you feel?” She asked instead.“Much better. Thank you for attending to me yesterday. For even accepting the phone call from me”“Of course, I am not a demon even though I do hate you
CAMILLAI stared at my ringing phone with Nathan displayed boldly as the callers ID.What the fuck did he want?I however put it to my ear, my heart jumping at the sound of his voice“Camilla, I know you can hear me” He rasped“What do you want?” I asked.“To talk” He answered.His voice appeared tortured… like there was something wrong with him and for a minute I was concerned before my head overrode my stupidity.“Concerning the project-” I began“Not concerning the-” He sighed, his voice trailing off.“I need you” He muttered softly that if I had not been paying attention, I would have missed that simple statement.“Mr Clark” I stopped when I heard his labored breathing.“Is something wrong with you?”“No, its nothing… I just need to speak with you”“Nathan, what is the matter? You sound distressed”He chuckled and then I heard him cough in the background“You are not concerned about me now, are you?”“This is not a joke, what is wrong with you?” I asked again, feeling panicky.He
CAMILLAMy father drove us straight to the house and I did not argue nor say anything when we arrived and my mother enveloped me in a hug.“Oh baby” She crooned.“I am okay” I reassured her“Come on in”I inhaled the familiar scent of home, my muscles relaxing.“I am going to bed” I announced.Their words fell over themselves as they agreed immediately to my request.My eyes closed as soon as I fell on the bed. I did not want to think of anything, I did not want to begin to analyze the anger in my heart directed at one person in particular.When I finally opened my eyes, it was noon.I made my way downstairs and was met with the searching eyes of both my parents.“Are you okay, baby?” My mother asked.I took a seat beside them.“I am not some fragile child you have to be worried about always, mother” I said.“You are my child and I have every reason to be worried about you” she countered.“I am going to be fine” I told her.My father said nothing but I turned to him anyways.“I have d